Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Your Democracy at Work: Wisconsin

The great state of Wisconsin was the scene of a
significant political battle last week over the proposed recall of Governor
Scott Walker. I know it was a great
political battle because BOTH The Daily Show and The Colbert Report covered it
on the same night. Outraged citizens on
one side argued that Governor Walker’s policies caused too much harm to the
good people of Wisconsin. Outraged
citizens on the other side argued that the recall was nothing more than a very
expensive and inappropriate “do-over” demanded by unions.

Regardless of where you stand on the substance of the
issue, in my opinion the debate has served only to benefit our democracy. Why?
Because like the infamous ‘hanging chad’ debate of 2000 (and the
subsequent national discussion about the electoral college), it has inspired
citizens to talk about our democratic process. I have actually heard people in
the streets – and streets outside of Washington, D.C. no less – get in to
heated arguments about whether “we don’t like this guy” is an adequate reason
to initiate a recall.

While I really don’t have any feeling of outrage on
either side of the debate, I am strongly of the opinion that recall elections
based on “we don’t like this guy” are perfectly reasonable -- as long as they
come with the support of the appropriate number of citizens (as reflected
through petition signatures). The rights
to both express dissatisfaction as well as to demand a vote on that
dissatisfaction are basic tenants of democracy.

In addition to the discussion over the role of recalls in
a democracy, some people see this particular battle as a presentiment of what
will happen during the upcoming Presidential and Congressional election
war. Personally, I think of all this as
less connected to the overall political situation of the country and more about
the politics of Wisconsin. Neither side
should feel encouraged or discouraged about Walker’s victory. But regardless of
how we feel about the outcome, we all should feel just a little heartened about
the renewed interest in democracy.